BRIAN Fraser says the Victorian government’s likely decision to transfer 350 professional firefighters to the CFA is a big mistake.
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The retired Tallangatta Valley farmer spent 62 years in the CFA — reaching the status of group officer, a position he held for 24 years, and he has been a member of the Australian Institute of Emergency Services for 20 years.
He makes no apology for his comments that the chain of command that was so important to firefighting has gradually been broken down over the years and centralisation had made the situation inefficient.
“And having the unions take over would be almost the last straw,” he said.
“The bottom line is locals are the people best equipped to fight a fire.”
He said the centralised dispatch centre at Ballarat, VicFire, had the potential to be inefficient and dangerous and there was the question as to whether it could handle the traffic.
“The danger is they may not send out the relevant fire brigade, the one that is closest to the fire, because they do not know the area,” he said.
